Working: A 70s Crime Classic Gets a Musical Redux

Published: March 19, 2023, 7 a.m.

b'This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Suzan-Lori Parks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose most recent project is a musical theater adaptation of the 1972 Jamaican crime film The Harder They Come. In the interview, Suzan-Lori shares her flexible approach to adaptation and, more specifically, how she was able to deepen the original story of The Harder They Come while honoring the original. She also talks about the unique challenges of adapting a movie into a stage musical.\\xa0\\n\\nAfter the interview, Isaac and co-host Karen Han talk about the ubiquity of adaptations and reboots and what it means to make a whole new piece of work out of old material.\\xa0\\n\\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac asks Suzan-Lori about her project 365 Days/365 Plays in which she wrote a play a day for an entire year. Isaac also asks about a unique playwriting convention that Suzan-Lori pioneered.\\xa0\\n\\nSend your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.\\n\\xa0\\nPodcast production by Cameron Drews.\\n\\nIf you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows\\u2014you\\u2019ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'